Chapter 253 Chapter Two Hundred And Fifty Three

Chapter 253 Chapter Two Hundred And Fifty Four
Lena

"Nicole! Oh my God, I'm so glad you came."

I tried to run up to her, to pull her into a hug the way we used to do, but Nicole just glared at me with such venom in her eyes that I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Get the hell away from me, you fucking traitor," she spat.

I'd spent the past hour or so at Marco's pizza restaurant, sitting in our usual booth by the window, twiddling my thumbs anxiously and checking my phone every thirty seconds while I waited for Nicole to show up. The lunch rush had died down, leaving the place mostly empty except for a few stragglers and the smell of garlic bread hanging heavy in the air.

Every so often, Marco's new employee—Susan, according to her name tag—would swing by with that forced customer-service smile and ask, "Hey, are you sure you don't want to order anything? Maybe some breadsticks? A slice?"

And every time, I'd give her the same apologetic answer: "I'm sorry, I'm expecting someone. She'll be here soon." Even though with each passing minute, I'd become less and less sure that was true.

Then I'd pull out my phone and try calling Nicole again. "Hey, remember I asked you to meet me at Marco's today? Are you coming? Please call me back." But Nicole never answered. Never responded to my texts. Radio silence.

Which was exactly why it came as such a shock when she'd suddenly blown through the door like a hurricane, her dark makeup perfectly applied, her expression thunderous, dodging my attempted hug and staring absolute daggers at me with those kohl-lined eyes.

"Thank you so much for coming," I said breathlessly, gesturing to the booth. "Please, sit. I know you're upset, but if you could just—"

Nicole grudgingly slid into the seat across from me, her arms crossed defensively over her chest. "Make this quick. I've got better things to do than listen to your bullshit excuses."

"I wanted to talk to you about this morning," I started carefully, trying to find the right words. "About everything that happened. I know you're angry, and you have every right to be, but I need you to understand—"

Nicole stared me down head-on, her posture radiating hostility and betrayal. She clearly wasn't sharing any of my hesitation toward confrontation—she never had. That was one of the things I'd always admired about her, actually. Her fearlessness. "Do you mean this morning when you were practically swapping saliva with Westbrook's head bully in front of everyone? Or this morning when you got yourself expelled for being a lying cheat? Because honestly, Lena, I'm not sure which one is more disgusting."

"Um..." I faltered, taken aback by her viciousness. "I was talking about Jace. About me and Jace. I wanted to explain—"

"Good." Nicole's laugh was cold and bitter. "Because quite frankly, I'm not in the mood to play the supportive best friend right now. I'm not here to pat your back and say 'Oh, so sorry this happened to you, Lena. How can I help you, Lena? Poor little Lena.' I don't give a single shit that you got expelled. In fact, I don't even know why the hell I'm here at all."

That stung more than I wanted to admit. "You don't mean that, Nicole," I said quietly, guilt washing over me in waves. "And I think... I think maybe you're here because part of you wanted to hear my side. Wanted me to explain what's really been going on."

Nicole's eyes flashed dangerously. "How do I know you won't just lie to my face again? Like you've been lying to me ever since the day we met? Ever since Noah introduced us and you played the role of the poor bullied victim so perfectly that we all fell for it?"

I sighed deeply, reaching for my water glass with shaking hands and taking a long sip to calm my frayed nerves. Then I set it down carefully and looked her straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Nicole. But I'm not lying now. I promise you that. I know I messed up, and I know I should have been honest with you from the start, but I'm telling you the truth now."

Nicole stared at me for what felt like a full minute, her jaw clenched tight, angrily chewing on a breadstick she'd grabbed from the basket Susan had left on the table earlier. Finally, she swallowed and leaned forward. "So how long have you two been fucking?"

I winced at the crudeness of the question, at how much contempt she managed to pack into those few words. "We haven't been," I said firmly. "We've been seeing each other, yes. Talking. Spending time together. Helping each other out of difficult situations. But it's not like that. It's not just... physical."

"How long?" Nicole demanded, ignoring my explanation entirely.

I said nothing, my throat closing up.

"How. Long. Lena."

Still, I couldn't make myself answer. Couldn't force the words out.

"So the whole fucking time then," Nicole said, her voice rising. "I fucking knew it. I knew something was off. Jake kept saying I was being paranoid, that you wouldn't do that to us, but I could feel it. Every time Jace's name came up, you'd get this look on your face. Every time we talked about getting revenge on him, you'd find some excuse to change the subject. And I ignored it because I thought we were friends. I thought you had my back."

"I tried," I said desperately, leaning forward. "I'm sorry. I know. I know I told you guys I hated him, and I did hate him at first. I really did. But I just... I don't know what happened. It just sort of evolved into something else, and by the time I realized what was happening, it was too late to—"

"So what?" Nicole interrupted, making a disgusted face like she'd just tasted something rotten. "You two are in love now? Is that what you're telling me? You and Jace Dawson, the guy who made your life hell for three years, are suddenly soulmates? You're such a two-faced liar."

I sighed, accepting the insult because I knew I deserved it. "Yes," I admitted quietly. "I think we're in love. Just like you and Jake."

Nicole went even paler than her already pale goth makeup allowed, the black lipstick standing out starkly against her suddenly bloodless face. "What the fuck are you talking about?" Her voice came out strangled. "Jake and I are just friends. That's it. Nothing more."

"Are you sure about that?" I challenged gently, trying to shift the conversation away from my mistakes and onto something else. "Nicole, come on. You know his phone password—and it's your name, not some random number. You guys know each other's parents. You finish each other's sentences. You say you hate him and that he's annoying, but you light up every time he walks into a room. You two aren't 'just friends.'" I used air quotes to emphasize my point.

"And how would you know?" Nicole shot back, her eyes glistening with what might have been tears or might have been pure rage. "What the hell would you know about real friendship, huh? After lying to my face for months? After using us?"

She was on a roll now, her voice getting louder, drawing curious looks from the few other customers in the restaurant. "You told me all that stuff about being bullied—about Allison pouring milk on your lunch, about the names they called you, about how isolated and alone you felt—and I believed you. I felt sorry for you. I wanted to help you. And the second Jace flexes one of his meathead muscles and gives you some attention, suddenly you don't hate him anymore? Suddenly all those years of torture just disappear?"

"That's not what happened—" I tried to defend myself.

"I'm still talking!" Nicole slammed her hand on the table, making the water glasses jump. "You betrayed Noah—the guy who actually helped you, who was there for you when no one else was—"

"That's not what happened," I said more forcefully, my own frustration bubbling up. "Nicole, if you would just listen to me for one second—"

"You threw him to the curb," Nicole continued as if I hadn't spoken, "along with us, your supposed friends. And now you have the audacity to sit here and expect us to just welcome you back with open arms like nothing happened? Like you didn't choose your bully over the people who actually cared about you?"

"I don't expect that," I said, my voice cracking slightly. "All I'm trying to do is explain my side. To tell you the truth about what really happened with Noah, about why things ended the way they did. If you would just—"

Nicole leaned across the table until she was only inches away from my face, close enough that I could see the anger and hurt swirling in her dark eyes. "I never want to see you again, Lena," she said with cold finality. "Stay the fuck away from us. From me and Jake. From Noah when he gets out of the hospital. Just stay away. Got it?"

I sighed deeply, my shoulders sagging with the weight of everything. "I can't do that."

"Why the hell not?!" Nicole demanded, her voice reaching a pitch that made the employee behind the counter look over nervously.

"Because Noah isn't who you think he is," I said firmly, meeting her glare without backing down. "Because the reason I 'betrayed' him, as you put it, is because he tried to hurt me. Actually hurt me. And I need you to know the truth about that before you completely write me off."

Nicole sat back slightly, her expression shifting from pure anger to something more confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that Noah grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against a door," I said quietly, my hand instinctively moving to my neck where the bruises had finally faded.

"Bullshit," Nicole muttered.

"I'm talking about the fact that he was manipulative and controlling and not the person any of us thought he was. That's why Jace went after him. Not because of some stupid rivalry or jealousy. But because Noah hurt me, and Jace was only trying to protect me."

Nicole was staring at me now, her mouth slightly open, the anger in her eyes warring with uncertainty. "So that's why Noah is MIA, because your pitbull, Jace put his claws all up in him. Really? You couldn't admit that much?"

"I wanted to tell you," I continued, my voice shaking. "I wanted to tell you so many times. But I knew you wouldn't believe me. I knew you'd think I was making it up to justify being with Jace, or that I was exaggerating because Noah has always been nice to you, or that I somehow deserved it. And I couldn't... I couldn't handle that. Not from you."

Heavy, uncomfortable silence stretched between us, until Susan appeared again, clearly sensing the tension but doing her job anyway. "Can I get you ladies anything?"

"No," Nicole said sharply, not taking her eyes off me. "We're fine."

Susan retreated quickly, and Nicole finally spoke again. "If what you're saying is true—"

"It is true."

"If it's true," Nicole repeated, her voice harder now, "then why didn't you go to the police? Why didn't you tell someone in authority? Why did you just let Jace handle it with his fists like some kind of caveman?"

"Because I was scared," I admitted. "I knew there was a risk that something like that would happen. But I had no idea it would be that bad. And oh my God, the things I've had to do to fix things after all of that happened. I've puts so much on the line, Nicole. So much, you wouldn't believe..."

Nicole was quiet for a long moment, studying my face like she was trying to detect any hint of deception. "I don't know if I believe you," she said finally. "But even if I did... that doesn't change the fact that you lied to me. To all of us. For months."

"I know," I said softly. "And I'm sorry. I really am. I was wrong to lie, and I was wrong to keep secrets, and I know I hurt you. But I need you to understand that I never meant for any of this to happen. I never planned on falling for Jace, and I never wanted to lose your friendship."

Nicole stood up abruptly, grabbing her bag. "I need time to think about this. About all of it. Don't call me. Don't text me. If I decide I want to talk to you again, I'll reach out. But until then... just leave me alone."

She turned to leave, but I called out desperately, "Nicole, wait. There's something else. Something I need your help with."

She paused, her back still to me. "What?"

"I think I can prove that Allison framed me for cheating," I said quickly, rushing to get the words out before she left. "But I need help. And you're one of the smartest people I know. So—"

Nicole turned slowly, her expression unreadable. "Why the hell would I help you?"

"Because despite everything, you still came here today," I said. "I know it has to be because some part of you still cares about our friendship, and because if the situations were reversed, you know I'd help you. No matter what."

She stared at me for another long moment, then finally sighed. "This better be fucking worth it."